A lot has happened since we first covered the smart, tiny HitchHiker camper pod from Tusca Outdoors. The biggest thing is that it's now a part of Redneck Outdoor Products, a Missouri company specializing in hunting blinds. It's also been renamed the Freedom Camper. Most importantly, though, it's now available in a lighter, sleeker version that fits trucks as small as the Ford Maverick and requires just two people to lift on and off the vehicle. It creates an all-terrain-ready pickup camper or camping trailer, then quickly removes when the trip is over.
Tusca followed up its original early-2024 HitchHiker introduction with the HitchHiker Solo last summer, giving buyers a lighter, more versatile camping pod option to swap between pickup trucks and utility trailers. It designed the Solo in response to customer feedback requesting a variant that could fit between the wheel wells of a standard full-size pickup truck, further delivering on the promise of a dirt-simple, inexpensive hard-walled truck camping solution. And this one didn't require mounting atop a homebuilt platform or something like the Decked drawer system.
Because Tusca had to slim down the exterior width to 48 inches (122 cm) to fit inside the wheel wells, the resulting 44-in (112-cm) interior width became a little cramped for two people, and it advertised the new variant as the Solo, good for a single sleeper. That's certainly a disadvantage for more social RVers traveling in pairs but may prove a big plus for anyone really looking to get away from it all. Although, we've seen double camper beds even tighter than 44 inches, so campers who don't mind getting snug and cozy could probably squeeze two inside.
The entire Tusca brand got pulled under the umbrella of Redneck earlier this year, and the rebranded Freedom Camper line now includes four different sizes. The smallest maintains the Solo's 48-in width and has a total length of 79 inches (201 cm) with an interior extending just under 75 inches (i.e. 6 ft 3 in, 191 cm).
While the longer 48 x 89-in (122 x 226-cm) Solo/Freedom Camper was developed specifically for full-size trucks, the new shorter 79-in version fits all midsize pickup trucks: Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Jeep Gladiator and Nissan Frontier. In fact, it even fits two small unibody trucks: the Ford Maverick and Honda Ridgeline, one of the few hard-walled camper options to do so. It works with both 5- and 6-foot beds and requires the tailgate to remain down either way. Redneck advertises it as a one- or two-person camper.
It's worth noting that some small and midsize truck platforms don't offer enough width between the wheel wells and will require platform mounting for even the slim 48-in Freedom Camper. The 2025 Toyota Tacoma, for instance, measures 44.7 inches (114 cm) between the wells, and the 2025 Chevy Colorado comes in at 45.5 in (116 cm). The 2025 Ford Ranger stretches 48.2 inches (125 cm) between the wells, but pre-2024 Rangers have a slimmer 44.8-in (114-cm) well-to-well width. Interestingly, the current Honda Ridgeline has a full 50 inches (127 cm) between the wheel wells, making it plenty wide to accommodate the 48-in-wide Freedom. Other trucks vary by make/model/year.
The 79 x 48-in trailer measures 54 inches (137 cm) tall to its roof and offers 48 inches of interior height for comfortably sitting up but not standing. It weighs in 10 lb (4.5 kg) less than the original HitchHiker we looked at last year at 180 lb (81.6 kg) and is designed to be transported from storage to pickup bed or utility trailer by two or more people.
Unlike larger, heavier campers that require jacks or other systems to lift on and off, the Freedom Camper is meant to carry by hand, much like a rooftop tent. It then straps securely to the truck's mounting tracks and/or tie-down points.
Beyond that, it's really just a simple roof over your head. It includes a full insulation package aimed at all-season use and a pair of slider windows plus ventilation points. From there, owners can accessorize it themselves with additions like solar panels, lighting, fans and more or use it as is, enjoying a very simple, hard-sided camping shelter. It does not come with its own mattress, so owners will have to use their own.
In addition to truck camping, the Freedom pod is still designed to mount to utility trailers and toy haulers to create a camping trailer solution, offering a simple overnight RV for outdoor adventurers without a free pickup bed to use. Freedom offers both trailer and truck installation kits for properly securing the camper to the vehicle of choice.
The most compact 79 x 48 x 54-in Freedom Camper starts at a retail price of US$3,399 but is on sale for $3,299 at the time of publishing. The longer 48 x 89-in solo model retails for $3,499. Redneck also offers a 58-in-wide (147-cm) two-sleeper pod in both 79- and 89-in lengths. Buyers can add the truck mounting kit in place of the trailer kit for an extra $100.
Source: Redneck Blinds
